"We have been in desperate need of upgrading and updating the kitchen and building in general," David Bush told the Sonoma Index-Tribune in September. "When it came down to it, it was too costly to spend the money on a building we don't own."
That quote explains a lot of what happened around Sonoma Plaza this year. Oso Sonoma served for 12 years and closed on Saturday, Sept. 26. Within the same few weeks, a 94-year-old cheese shop went dark, a wine bar that hosted the Valley's Friday jazz shut down, and a restaurant in a former post office kept a full house. The pattern behind all of it is pretty consistent. In 2026, the Plaza traditions that held on were the ones able to change rooms or change formats. The closures were mostly single operators who couldn't make an old space pencil out.
The rooms that got too expensive to keep
Oso had a rough first few years, then found its footing and became a favorite of locals and visitors alike. In 2015 it won Best New Restaurant in the Index-Tribune's People's Choice Awards. It had 14 employees when the closure was announced. The owners also ran Parkside Wine Bar, and a follow-up report confirmed that both would close together. No new tenant for the Oso space has been reported as of early October.
A block's worth of live music went quiet at the same time. An Index-Tribune column from Oct. 2 put it this way: Parkside closed over economic concerns, and Sonoma Speakeasy closed temporarily. The columnist pointed to streaming, people drinking less, and higher costs for everything as the pressures on venue owners.
On Second Street East, the Vella Cheese Company closure had different causes and ended the same way. In August, Vella announced it would stop making its artisan cheese. The owners thought selling through the remaining inventory could take a few months. Customers cleared it out much faster, and the shop made its last sale on Sept. 4. Vella's story started 94 years ago, when a group of dairymen asked Gaetano "Tom" Vella to open his own fromagerie. A shop that sells out early clearly still had demand. What ended was the operation behind the counter.
The rooms getting a second life
The openings follow the same logic in reverse. The newcomers that got the most attention moved into buildings that already had long histories.
Dead Letter is the clearest example. John Toulze and Sondra Bernstein, the partners behind The Girl & The Fig and Poppy, took over the building at First and East Napa streets. It was home to Maya Mexican Restaurant for more than two decades, and before that it was a post office. Sonoma Magazine described the room's postal touches, including a wooden postal window full of vintage postcards and an old Art-o-mat machine that once sold cigarettes and now sells $5 artworks the size of a cigarette pack. The kitchen is built around a three-level Spanish charcoal grill. Chef Jeremy Zimmerman's menu leans on grilled seafood and shared plates, like Ibérico pork in tomatillo sauce and chopped chicken livers with rhubarb jam. "We're removing food envy," Zimmerman told the magazine. "When the food hits the center of the table, people keep talking."
A few blocks west, Sonoma Eats is now in the former La Hacienda space at 561 Fifth St. W. It isn't a brand-new restaurant. Owners Efrain Balmes and Hayley Cutri opened a Sonoma location of their existing Mexican restaurant there, and an Index-Tribune roundup said more of Balmes' Oaxacan family recipes are expected soon.
Here's how the year's changes add up, room by room:
| Address or location | What it was | What it is now |
|---|---|---|
| First and East Napa streets | A post office, then Maya Mexican Restaurant for 20-plus years | Dead Letter, open since summer 2026 |
| 561 Fifth St. W. | La Hacienda | Sonoma Eats |
| Patten Street, the old fire station | A firehouse | Gehricke Wines, now the Friday jazz venue |
| Oso's Plaza space | Oso Sonoma, 2014 to Sept. 26, 2026 | No successor reported yet |
| Second Street East | Vella Cheese Co. retail shop | Closed after its final sale on Sept. 4 |
Two other 2026 arrivals are close enough to walk to. Chef Ari Weiswasser opened Smash at 497 First St. W. in late spring. Sam's General Store held its grand opening and ribbon cutting at 520 Broadway on June 1, 2026. Its own site describes the Sonoma location as a cafe serving coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and salads.
Friday jazz moved one block
The best evidence for the "change rooms" pattern is the Sonoma Valley Jazz Society. It has been producing live jazz in the Valley for 37 years and was booking the acts at Parkside. When Parkside closed, the musicians needed a new home in a hurry.
That new home is Gehricke Wines, in the old fire station on Patten Street. It's on the same block as Parkside. The Friday night series started there on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. As of the column's press date the full lineup was still being finalized, and the Society posts updates at sonomavalleyjazzsociety.org.
So a 37-year-old series lost its venue and was back on a Friday night a few weeks later, one block away. Parkside couldn't make it, but the Jazz Society could pack up and keep going.
Formats are changing too
Some institutions are adapting by changing their shape. Vintage House at 264 First St. E., which serves Sonoma Valley seniors, is putting on Rocktoberfest, a new event that combines Oktoberfest and Halloween. It runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. Expect a costume contest, live music from the TJ Carter Band, dancing, and dinner from the El Coyote food truck. It's open to anyone 21 and over. Advance tickets are $20 and tickets at the door are $30.
The Red Grape is changing hands within the family. A July Index-Tribune story reported that Megan Moll has become the restaurant's driving force and is taking the reins. Carol Morphy remains the owner and is still involved day to day.
Black Cod Week, Oct. 17 to 25, works a little like the jazz series. It isn't tied to any one restaurant. The Sonoma Valley listing says the black cod comes from a local fleet fishing out of Bodega Bay. Restaurants and markets across the county sign on through the Black Cod Trail. One partner is St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, where David Bush was executive chef before he opened Oso. The partner list covers the whole county, so check which participants are close to you before planning a night around it.
The fall calendar, in date order
These dates come from event listings that don't show when they were last updated, so confirm before you go.
- Fridays at 7 p.m., ongoing. Sonoma Valley Jazz Society at Gehricke Wines, in the old Patten Street firehouse.
- Fridays through Sundays, through Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival at Beltane Ranch, 11775 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, with ranch-grown pumpkins, farm animals, a hay maze, food, and wine.
- Through Nov. 2. The Arts Guild of Sonoma's "A Harvest of Art" at 140 E. Napa St., with coastal photography, mixed-media portraits, and work by guild artists.
- Through Nov. 6. DÃa de Muertos ofrendas at Jack London State Historic Park, 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. You can add a photo, name, memory, drawing, or message to the community altar.
- Oct. 17 to 25. Black Cod Week, featuring black cod from Bodega Bay boats.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 to 9 p.m. Rocktoberfest at Vintage House, 21 and over.
- Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m. Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza, a free community celebration with lights, live music, food, and drink.
- Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m. Sonoma's Annual Lighted Tractor Parade around the Plaza, hosted by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance and the City of Sonoma.
I keep an eye on what moves into the Oso space, what happens next on Second Street East, and which old buildings around the Plaza get their next tenants. If you're curious about the blocks around your own place, Hilary Thomas is always happy to talk Plaza storefronts over coffee. Let's find your Sonoma home.
